RETURN OF THE CHAMPIONS
by MyraValhallah
Summary: My sequel to the best musical ever written. It's starts a rough year after the end of the show and the Killer Queen is tightening her her hold over Planet Mall Please R&R but don't be too harsh.
1. Prologue

_**Rewritten with the help of my Beta Reader X-Kate-X**_

**RETURN OF THE CHAMPIONS**

_**Prologue**_

"And that Honey, is how Galileo, Scaramouche and Pop saved all of the kids on Planet Mall from the evil Killer Queen"

"Wock om" the little girl cheered clapping her pudgy hands. Mercury Figaro was one and was every bit as bohemian as her mother and father

"Really Gaz, is that really the right sort of story to tell her to try and get her to sleep?" Scaramouche shook her head and picked up her daughter.

Galileo looked at his wife carefully, she was concerned about something, it was clear, she usually didn't care what story Mercury was told at bedtime. He noticed how tightly she was clinging onto the tot; as if worried that something would happen to her if she let her go, oddly her voice shook as she sang:

_Who wants to live forever?_

Ok now he knew that something was amiss,

"Scara, babe, what's wrong?" he asked putting his arms around his two girls, the smaller of whom was now sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms

"N-nothing" she stammered, turning away from him and studiously ignoring him "Why should anything be wrong?" she shot defensively

"Come on Scaramouche" he stroked her arms, "We've been through this; I can't help you if you don't let me"

Scaramouche repositioned Mercury in her arms and sighed deeply, "There have been more raids- the police are taking our kids now"

"Scara, don't worry, love" Galileo pressed a kiss to her temple, "I'll die before I let anything happen to you two- and I'm sure Pop feels the same" he nodded towards the old bohemian who was passed out in the approximation an armchair in the corner

"I'm just scared for her, you know" she pressed her purple head into Galileo's shoulder.

Since the Killer Queen had reformed the police force three months earlier; Scaramouche and Gaz, along with Pop had been travelling to find a safe place. They were heading for the new Heartbreak Hotel to reunite with the bohemians and hopefully come up with some sort of plan to stop the age of GaGa again.

"I'm going outside to have a look around, love" Galileo shrugged on his jacket and left the hidey hole.

Not for the first time since they'd been forced to hit the road, Scaramouche stared at Mercury, as if memorizing her- her late twin sister, Rhapsody, was buried not far from the seven seas of Rhye, where they'd been born.

Mercury already looked almost exactly like her mother except she had her father's eyes- wide and blue-grey. She had a lot of dark brown fluffy hair which was tied back with small ribbons, bits of coloured wool and even a piece of nylon guitar string. She was dressed in a severely oversized black ACDC T-shirt secured with a frayed red scarf.

Scaramouche half wondered whether her other daughter would have looked the same, or whether she'd have been looking into her own eyes when she gazed down at her, not Galileo's.

Scaramouche didn't get far with her daydreams of the past. The door banged open and a frightened Galileo burst in- Pop looked around, dazed, having been startled out of his armchair and Mercury started to cry.

"Shh Merc…" Galileo whispered, "Calm down sweetheart…"

"Gaz? What's wrong?" Saramouche demanded, as Galileo ripped off his jacket and made her wrap Mercury in it

"They f-f-f-found us." He looked every inch the burning man. He was trying not to show his panic although his stutter gave him away. Scaramouche leapt into action, spurred on by her alarm at seeing Galileo so shaken, the thrust Mercury into Pop's arms.

"Pop. Take her!" she snapped, the panic evident in her voice

"But…?" Pop was confused, and more than slightly hung-over.

"We can't let the Killer Queen get her." Galileo growled, "She'll kill her!"

That jolted the old man into action, he loved the little chick as much as her parents did, "Where?"

"Take her on to the Heartbreak Pop." Scaramouche's fear nearly got the best of her and her voice cracked, "She'll be safe there-we'll come as soon as we can. Go!"

Pop ran, sheltering his goddaughter in his arms into the night.


	2. Chapter One

_**Chapter One**_

Declan Parsons was seventeen. He was a trainee music programmer with  
Globalsoft - or at least he had been until he found something in the old  
library that interested him more than anything else... The forbidden histories. Slowly he had gotten less involved in his job and more involved in searching through the histories for anything he could find about real music; however he had to remain below the radar. He tried to throw himself into his work but found no more pleasure in the business of murdering perfectly good tunes with computer softwear. Declan knew that there was more to life than what he was being shown.

Whenever he looked into the vacant blue-grey eyes of his superior, Gordon Jones, a thin wiry man in his thirties; he got the impression that there was more to him than met the eye too… Maybe he had found out too much and had been processed? Maybe he was once a bohemian? If that had happened to Gordon, then he had to get away before old Commander Khashoggi got wise to him and he ended up the same way.

Mercury Figaro pulled the black ribbon in her long dark brown hair tighter and adjusted the sights on her spyglasses- one of her mother's inventions; they looked like old plastic wrap-around sunglasses. The sixteen year old bohemian chick looked almost exactly like her mum; apart from having her dad's eyes, a mysterious blue-grey, and his smile. Beside Mercury squatted the only other Bohemian Kid left alive- Britney Spears junior- the closest she had to a big brother. Brit was just like his father had been; dark skinned and muscular and in a bizarre twist of fate he was also born on his father's birthday. Currently, he was adjusting the sights on his own spyglasses to enable him to see the Globalsoft building better. For them it was just another stakeout

"Do you want to go back to the Heartbreak Merc?" he asked noticing her shiver a little, "If you're cold…"

"I'm fine Brit" she told him, slipping on her old leather jacket over her T-shirt and tying it closed with an aged guitar strap, "I've never known it to be so cold in October- we don't usually get it like this until February"

"Yeah, this year's been wier…" Brit broke off as he caught sight of a figure leaving the building, "Hide, there's a sheep heading our way"

The two bohemians hit the dirt and lay very still as a blonde zone-clone ran past them towards the borders to Bohemia.

'Follow him?' Mercury mouthed and Brit nodded. They trailed the boy, keeping in the shadows.

Declan had the impression that he was being followed as he made his way to the edge of town. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he moved faster anyway. He didn't want any of the people from Globalsoft to see him- then he would end up like Gordon Jones… All he wanted was to find someplace where he could learn more about living rock; so he was heading towards where a Bohemian stronghold was rumoured to be. A place called the 'Heartbreak Hotel'.

The sensation of being watched got stronger as he left the town and entered the Outlands. Hairs on the back of Declan's neck stood up; his senses were raised and he prayed that he was still imagining things. Suddenly a male voice yelled, "Get him!"

Someone grabbed his legs and he was floored.

"Who are you?" he demanded

"We might ask you the same question, duh-brain" a girl's voice retorted, "Where are you off to then?" she teased

"Let me up… And I'll tell you"

"Merc" The male voice this time, he sounded like he was agreeing, "Let him up"

The pressure on his feet lifted and he was hauled to his feet by the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. She wasn't that much shorter than him, with a long dark brown pony tail; she was wearing a grey cloth on her head; what they used to call a bandanna. An oversized leather jacket swamped her shoulders, tied around her waist with a brightly coloured belt. This was over a pair of heavily patched trousers that clung to her legs. Declan had read about those in the archives for twenty-first century fashion; skinny jeans, he remembered they were called. Over these she wore, what looked like, a short black skirt and a pair of boots covered with what looked like gaffer-tape.

"Ok, quit staring zone-clone" she told him with a death glare, "Start talking"

"My name's Declan and I'm heading to the Heartbreak Hotel so I can learn about the Forbidden histories" he reeled off quickly, almost robotically

The two bohemians shared an almost amused glance as they picked up on this, "You expect us to believe you?" the boy asked, "You could be bugged"

"He could be telling the truth" the girl shrugged, "I say we check him now and decide what to do with him after that."

The boy weighed this up and nodded somewhat reluctantly, "Ok, sit down pig"

Declan sat obediently and the boy went behind him and searched his head pulling it roughly from side to side, "He's clean" he announced

"Do we bring him along?" the girl asked unsure, "Or do we kill him?"

"We'll tie him up and blind fold him" the boy said decisively, "He's coming with us- for now"

Mercury whipped off her bandanna and tied it over '_Declan's_' eyes; while Brit bound his hands in front of him. Declan felt a hand between his wrists pulling on his bonds as he was dragged forwards- hopefully towards the Heartbreak Hotel.


	3. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two**_

Being forced to run with his arms tied to his sides and his eyes covered, was one of the worst experiences of Declan's life- stumbling repeatedly over his own feet; even falling to his knees on one occasion. Finally he was pushed through a curtain and they came to a stop.

"Who's this Brit?" a woman asked.

"We followed him back from the town, Scara" the boy explained, "He's clean. We checked him- Merc tackled him" he broke snorted before continuing, "It was quite funny…"

"He says he wants to learn more about the texts" the girl added, "Do you reckon we could let him stay?"

"You softie" a man teased, "If he's clean, I suppose we can keep him on"

Declan was getting mighty sick of being talked about when he was in the room. So imagine his surprise when the man spoke to him directly,

"Are you prepared for the fact that you can never go back to the fold?"

Declan nodded blindly, confused by their easy acceptance

"Do you promise that you won't betray us to the Killer Queen and her Pigs?"

"I promise" voice shaking as he nodded

"Great stuff" the first woman clapped as if his word concluded the business

Suddenly his eyes were overwhelmed by a bright light and his bonds were broken so suddenly that he fell.

"Come on" the girl who'd tackled him trod on his toe, caught his wrists and pulled him to his feet, "Sorry about flooring you" she smiled- he noticed something familiar about her smile… "You're staring again"

"Right" the first woman clapped her hands, she looked a lot like the pretty girl but her hair was purple and her smile different… she was older, shallow lines defining her features, "Introductions. I'm Scaramouche- but everyone calls me Scara."

"Britney Spears Jr." the boy nodded with an easy smile, "Just call me Brit"

"Meat" a second woman- this one blonde with lots of weird stuff in her hair mock saluted, tipping him a wink, "Meat Loaf"

"Cosmos, Cosmos Rocks" the man who'd addressed him introduced himself- he had a very thick bushy auburn beard and wore trilby, at a jaunty angle, on his head

"Mercury Figaro" the girl offered a two fingered salute, "But you can call me Merc"

"And that would make you…?" Scara began with a slight frown.

"My name's Declan" Said Declan

"What do we call you though _Declan_" Scara asked, wrapping an arm around Mercury

"Um…" He wondered why on Planet Mall wouldn't they want to call him by his real name when it hit him- They didn't have Gaga names; maybe he shouldn't have one either

Mercury was looking him up and down, as if weighing him up, "Bowie. His name is Bowie."

"Merc?" Scaramouche asked confused

"I saw it" she whispered, "Last night I dreamed that the next guy to join us would be called Bowie"

The other bohemians gathered were staring dumbstruck at Mercury, who was looking as if she were expecting something bad to happen

Scaramouche thawed out first; looking at Meat for support and receiving a nod and a smile in return, Scaramouche put her hand on the small of Mercury's back, "You and I need to talk"


	4. Chapter Three

_**Sorry, it's been ages since I last updated**_

_**Chapter Three**_

Scaramouche was thoroughly shaken. When had Mercury started having these dreams? Perhaps she was more like her father than anyone had guessed... She missed Galileo so much; he'd never arrived at the Heartbreak that night fifteen years ago.

_Flashback_

_After Pop had run with Mercury, Scaramouche slipped her hand into Galileo's. He didn't move._

"_I love you Scaramouche" his voice shook_

"_I love you too" she told him, confused. Why was he reminding her now? They had to fight! What he said next shocked her._

"_Scara, run"_

"_What?"_

"_You heard me!" he all but growled. "I don't want Mercury to lose us both- she needs you." He didn't look at her._

"_She needs both of us!" Scaramouche grabbed his cheeks and forced him to look at him, he still didn't meet her eyes. "Gaz, look at me, damn it- we beat them before, and if we work together we can do it again"_

"_Sophie"_

_The use of her old name floored her (she'd told him after he proposed) - he only used it when he was putting his foot down. "Please, I can't lose you…"_

_Spirit of Rock she wanted to argue, but she could see the sincerity in his blue-grey eyes. "Come here you…" she whispered, pulling his head down so she could kiss him. "I love you, Shagileo Gigolo"_

_Then, not daring to look back at him, she followed Pop and Mercury._

_End flashback_

The two Figaro women sat on Mercury's bed in silence until Scaramouche began.

"Do you remember anything about your dad?"

"Not really- I know that I have his eyes" she slipped her jacket off her shoulders revealing her white _Deep Purple_ T-shirt. "And that this was his."

Scaramouche nodded.

"He was the Dreamer" Mercury gasped.

"That would make you…"

"The Bad Arsed Babe" Scaramouche nodded and smirked. "But its 'Mum' to you."

Mercury laughed.

"So is that why I had that dream, because I'm the daughter of the Dreamer?"

Scaramouche nodded.

After Scaramouche and Mercury had left the room, Brit turned to Bowie. "If you're staying, you'd better follow me, Bowie"

The blonde followed him into the dark, musty, labyrinthine bowels of the Heartbreak. "You can't go around looking like that; you're a Bohemian now!"

Brit led him into a huge walk-in wardrobe; there was rack after rack of the strangest clothes that Bowie had ever seen- not a pastel shade in sight. There were chests of drawers lining the back wall. The two adjacent walls had plastic boxes, full of boots and shoes of all colours and descriptions.

"Take your time- I'll be upstairs if you need me…"

"Brit?"

"Yeah Bowie?"

"Scara and Merc…" he began. "Why do they look so similar?"

Brit laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Merc is Scara's daughter!"

Still laughing, Brit left him alone.

*


	5. Chapter Four

**_I'm back. Sorry for the delay._**

**_ Hopefully the next chapter will be up faster.

* * *

_**

_**Chapter Four**_

Mercury was sat in the main room of the Heartbreak, playing the guitar her mother had made for her- she had a lot to think about, her dreams were inherent. The music was calming; she sang along quietly:

_Pressure pushing down on me  
Pressing down on you, no man asked for  
Under pressure, that burns a building down  
Splits a family in two  
Puts people on streets_

_That's ok  
It's the terror of knowing what this world is about  
Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out"  
Pray tomorrow, gets me higher  
Pressure on people, people on streets…  
_

"Did you write that?" a voice asked from the doorway

"No- I think my parents did" She turned around to see a blonde guy who even she would go as far as to call hot. Bowie.

He was wearing a pair of tight black jeans, which highlighted certain parts of his anatomy; a pale long sleeved T-shirt with a black velvety waist coat hanging open over it. His feet were covered by scuffed black boots.

"You look totally rock and roll Bow"

"Really?" he asked sceptically. "I don't look stupid?"

"Nope" she smiled that unsettlingly familiar smile. "One thing though…"

Without warning Mercury pounced on him and ruffled his short blonde hair.

"There we go" she grinned

Their eyes met. Hers were blue-grey and full of fire; his were ice blue and inquiring.

"Go on, ask away" she told him

"Who was your dad?" he blurted. "Brit told me about your mum"

"Dad" Mercury sighed. "Was captured fifteen years ago- he gave himself up for mum and me, his name was Galileo Figaro. All I really know, is that I have his eyes"

When she said that a face entered his mind, a man's face- he had vacant eyes which were exactly the same size and shape as the girl standing before him. "Gordon" he muttered.

"Beg your pardon" Mercury frowned

"I think I know your dad Merc" he whispered. "They've got him working at Globalsoft- as a music programmer"

"Dad's alive" her eyes sparkled. "You can't keep this from them, follow me"

* * *

**_There we go..._**

**_Let meknow what you think?_**


	6. Chapter Five

_**Hey guys- I'm back,**_

_**a fairly short one for ya- more to come as soon as I've edited it; this is dedicated to my reviewers- thanks guys... now in the words of Freddie**_

_**The Show must go on...

* * *

**_

_**Chapter Five**_

Gordon Jones had just woken up from the strangest dream. He was in a shack with a Gaga-girl with purple hair- she said something to him and kissed him then ran off. Upon waking, he reasoned that it was subconscious memories of his fleeting rebelliousness as a kid; though, if that was indeed the case why did that girl appeal to him? Banishing the questions, Gordon dressed and downed a mug of coffee before leaving for work.

* * *

Bowie did not like the way the Bohemians were staring at him. Last night Mercury had forced him to tell Scaramouche, Meat and a man called Big Macca that her dad; _the Dreamer_ they called him, was still alive after fifteen years.

The rebels had gathered en masse in the largest room in the place to discuss this news. Bowie noticed that Scaramouche looked as if she hadn't slept much at all. Her daughter sat beside her- with an arm around her shoulder; she glanced his way and nodded to the empty space between her and Brit.

Bowie's eyes widened a little- she wanted him to sit by her?

As he picked his way over to her Brit's dark eyes shot him a warning; as if he was protecting Mercury- were they together?

The meeting went on for ages but Bowie hadn't followed any of it. He felt slightly numb for some reason. He only became aware of his daze when a repeated prodding to his shoulder finally got his attention.

"What?" he blinked stupidly

"Oh so there is someone in there" Mercury was standing over him, an amused smile gracing her features. "You missed the whole meeting"

Confused, Bowie looked around the room- empty apart from the two of them. "What did they decide?"

Mercury shook her head. "Well we're obviously gonna try and get my dad back"

"We?"

"Yup, who here knows the Globalsoft building better than you?"

"I can't" he sighed watching as disappointment filled her eyes. "I mean, I'll help, but I can't go in there, I'll be recognized."

To his amazement Mercury started laughing. "No one expects _you_ to go in and abduct him, duh brain, now c'mon, we're throwing you a welcome party"

She hauled him up again- he was getting a little sick of being man-handled by a girl- and ran out of the room.

* * *

_**There we go- let me know what you think.**_

_** If anyone can guess the relevance of Bowie's new look I'll write a fic especially for ya**_

_**Till next time.**_

_**:)  
**_


	7. Chapter Six

_**Hey peeps, I'm back.**_

_**This chapter has been ready for about a week, I just haven't had chance to load it.**_

_**The show must go on.

* * *

**_

_**Chapter Six**_

There was music emanating from the room that Mercury led him into- there were people dancing and making noises on weird old objects- instruments?

"We ready?" Meat yelled; a smile on her face.

"Yeah!" the other Bohemians yelled as one

The atmosphere in the room changed as the bohemians started stamping out a rhythm, _stamp-stamp clap, stamp-stamp clap._

Bowie stared round at them as if they were mad- then Brit stepped forwards.

_Buddy you're a boy_

_Make a Big noise_

_Shouting in the streets_

_Gonna be a big man some day_

_You got mud on your face_

_You big disgrace_

_Kickin' your can all over the place_

_Singing…_

The other bohemians joined in-

_We will, we will rock you!_

_We will, we will rock you!_

Mercury grinned and took over from Brit.

_Buddy you're a young man,_

_Hard man_

_Shoutin' in the street_

_Gonna take on the world someday_

_You've got blood on your face_

_You big disgrace_

_Wavin' your banner all over the place_

_Singin'_

Again the others joined in- it must be what they used to call a chorus. Then both young Bohemians sang the next bit of the song in a strange harmony.

_Buddy you're an old man_

_Poor man_

_Pleading with your eyes_

_Gonna make you some peace someday_

_You've got blood on your face_

_You big disgrace_

If Bowie hadn't been fully captivated by the time the words ended he certainly was when Scaramouche played a guitar solo, a solo which was over all too soon.

* * *

**_That's exactly how I feel about that guitar solo. More to come._**

**_M  
_**


	8. Chapter Seven

_**I'm back- finally- this chapter took me ages to write. I really hope you guys like it...**_

_**Now, the show must go on...**_

* * *

_**Chapter Seven**_

Bowie had been in residence at the Heartbreak Hotel for near enough a month now, even though he wasn't particularly good at the whole scavenging thing, he was widely accepted as a Bohemian. Two weeks after he'd arrived he'd started singing another thing he wasn't particularly good at either- so Scaramouche had gifted him with a strange instrument that looked like a guitar but with only four strings- she told him that it was called a bass.

Mercury couldn't help thinking that the Duh-brain was cute- she knew that her mother and Meat harboured a desire for her and Brit to get together… yeah right, when hell froze over; it should have been blatantly obvious for years that the only love she had for Brit was brotherly. Part of her assumed that they were so close because:

1) They'd grown up together; and…

2) They'd grown up without father figures in their lives.

* * *

Just over six weeks after Bowie arrived he was sent out on his own to steal some Gaga gear ready for what had been labelled _Operation Wild-One_.

They needed to be Gaga Kid wear because only Mercury or Brit could get away with what had been planned…

His first trip back into Gaga-land made him realize how much he loved being bohemian- Gaga land was a bloody production line. The teenager slipped into someone's garden. On the washing line was a harsh white skimpy top with only one shoulder strap, next to it was a seriously short skirt.

On closer inspection he realized that he knew this place- he'd grown up in the house the washing line was connected- that meant that he also knew whose clothes he was stealing. His little sister- Mimi was tall for her thirteen years. She was roughly the same size as Mercury. He smiled- his task complete; his parents would buy Mimi new clothes as soon as she turned on the water works.

Bowie vaulted the fence and snatched the 'garments' remembering all too clearly what it was like to be a Gaga sheep. He turned and legged it right out of the town- keeping to the shadows as his new family had taught him.

* * *

Mercury was on watch. She wasn't scheduled to be but she'd been drafted when her mother had declared herself too busy with a new invention. She hated seeing her mother get like that. Mercury sighed to herself- she would probably be the same if anything happened to Bowie…

Wait a second where the hell did that come from?

She was roused from her confusion by the sound of feet pounding on the dusty ground that led from There to the Heartbreak. Her fingers curled around the knife at her waist- ok so knife was a loose translation; it was a sharp jagged piece of metal with a strap of leather wrapped around one end to make a handle.

"Hey" a familiar voice whispered. "It's Bowie"

Mercury's smiled. "Well what're you doing standin' out there in the cold, duh-brain? You know where the door is"

A bundle of what was apparently, meant to be cloth but felt more like plastic to the Bohemian-raised chick, landed on her, before Bowie entered the hidey hole she'd been keeping watch in.

Mercury felt her cheeks getting warm- it was a truly annoying habit that her body had picked up and it only happened when she was less than arm's length from the blonde next to her. She turned away so he wouldn't see her blush. Her watch was over now so she could slope off back to her room where her guitar and several mag-A-zeens were waiting for her perusal. Her favourite one proclaimed itself to be called _Kerr-ang_; because it was the one in the best condition and it came from a year not _that_ long before the age of Gaga; 2010.

"How's that for a welcome then Merc" Bowie sounded disgruntled. "I've just been out on a solo mission and not even Bob goes out on those and you just walk away from me without so much as an '_I'm glad you're not dead Bowie_' for my troubles"

She laughed at his odd outburst and decided that she'd humour him and shock him out of his rant at the same time…

She retraced her steps towards him and when she felt her colour rising, yet again she decided she was close enough- stretching on her booted toes she whispered in his ear. "I'm glad you're not dead Bow…"

Then she swooped and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before turning to hurtle away so as to avoid his reaction; taking the foul Gaga gear with her.

* * *

Left alone in the entrance to the Heartbreak Hotel, Bowie stood stock still- eyes wide and jaw slack. Slowly he raised his hand and touched the patch of skin which had just, momentarily at least, played host to the beautiful Mercury Figaro's lips.

What the hell was he going to do now?

* * *

_**There's a twist for you- a little hint of Romance. I reckon there's more where that came from too.**_

_**Lemme know what you think...**_


	9. Chapter Eight

_**Hey guys.**_

_**I thought I'd be able to get this up sooner but hey-**_

_**In the words of a Bright bright star...**_

_**The Show Must Go On...**_

* * *

_**Chapter Eight**_

It was snowing.

There had not been weather like this since before the dawn of Gaga. The cold had grown worse, making each breath out entirely visible. The clouds had rolled in a kind of white-grey colour. The Heartbreak hotel had woken one morning to find the world around covered in a thick white blanket.

Bowie was sat on the roof of the Heartbreak staring out over the seemingly alien landscape- trying to get his thoughts in order

For two months now Bowie had only been able to truly focus on one moment. The last time that Mercury had been on watch. After she'd kissed his cheek and ran it had been a good week since she'd been in the same room as him for more than five seconds. What made things worse was that he and Brit had established a strong friendship now.

He ran a hand through his rapidly growing blonde mop- how was he supposed to stay friends with Brit and avoid Mercury at the same time? He shivered a little and looked out over the white landscape; his usual T-shirt and waist coat weren't much use in this snow stuff.

All of a sudden something soft and warm fell around his shoulders- the blanket off his bed.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

'_Ah crap!_' he thought, Mercury Figaro stood not two feet away from him, wrapped in her own bedding.

"They've made cocoa downstairs," she smiled slyly as he made to pass her in favour of the warm drink. "But first, we need to talk…"

"What about?" he asked hoping this wasn't about what he thought…

"You're avoiding me!"

'_Crap_' "No I am not."

She stepped closer to him. "I'm not blind Bowie- you won't spend time with me unless Brit's with us."

"But…" he couldn't meet her eye

"It's because of Brit isn't it?" she concluded.

"I don't want to get in the way." he admitted weakly

"In the…? Oh!" she sounded amused. "Bowie"

"What!" he yelled. "I like you ok, but you're with Br…"

Her laughter interrupted him. "Bowie, I _do_ love Brit, but it's not like that."

"What's it like then?" he was trying not to sulk.

"I've known Brit since we were tiny- he's my best friend, practically my brother."

Bowie attempted to process this information. "But he seems so protective of you…"

"If you had a little sister wouldn't you want to keep her safe?"

"_Mimi_ would die if I tried to protect her- she's thirteen and…" he thought about how best to describe his sister.

"Gaga?" Mercury offered, with a smirk.

Bowie nodded, laughing. "She was always rubbing it in my face that I could never get with a Gaga-girl."

It was his turn to laugh as Mercury sneered. "Why would anyone in their right mind want to be with a Gaga-girl?"

"Because they don't make 'em like you anymore." he suggested. '_Why the hell did I say that- it was so cheesy?_' unable to resist playing with the strands of her hair that had broken free from her pony tail.

"Have you got a problem with that?" she asked cocking her head a little- she was so close to him now that he could practically taste that strangely enticing musky smell of hers.

He had an answer for her but the path between his brain and the rest of his body got cut off when Mercury suddenly pressed her lips to his.

After a few moments of not getting a response Mercury pulled back- a hurt look on her face.

"Bow…?" but he cut her off by capturing her lips in a kiss of his own- one hand in her hair; the other resting on the small of her back. This time she pulled back laughing.

"Why didn't you do that the first time?"

They realised as exactly the same instant that her arms had snaked around his neck and their respective blankets were crumpled at their feet.

"C'mon" Mercury chuckled. "We should get inside before all the cocoa's gone."

Wrapped in their blankets again, they re-entered the Heartbreak hand in hand.

* * *

Brit looked at the untouched cups of steaming cocoa- where were those two? Mercury had only gone out to tell Bowie that there was cocoa on offer; that shouldn't take this long, he cast a glance over at Scaramouche. The purple haired Rock Goddess didn't seem worried- no indeed, she was deep in conversation with Macca and Bob. Suddenly Bowie appeared in front of him.

"Bow" Brit greeted his friend. "Did you talk to Merc?"

"You could say that." the blonde gave him a certain smile, taking both the cups he walked away- Brit watched him cross to a corner; Mercury was sat there too. That was odd; Bowie usually tried to steer clear of her so why were they now sat so close to each other. Bowie leaned in closer still and after a moment Mercury giggled- she actually giggled, and blushed. Mercury Figaro didn't talk about her feelings very often but it was no secret that she had a crush on the blonde- now it seemed that Bowie had finally got the message.

Scaramouche and Meat shared a smile- long gone were the days where they'd actually thought that their children might actually fall in love with each other.

* * *

The freshness in the atmosphere after Mercury and Bowie got together was the only real indication that the tension between the two had been getting to everyone. The continued snow fall kept the Bohemians away from Gaga-land for several more weeks- it was early march when the stuff finally melted (much to the younger three's annoyance- they'd been plotting to pelt Gaga-kids with snowballs.)

With the spring came the time to reclaim the Dreamer.

"Are you ready for this, babe?" Bowie asked Merc as they sat together under a tree a short distance away from the Heartbreak, watching the sun set; she had her head in his lap as he stroked her uncharacteristically loose hair.

"Yes" she answered definitely. "Though the Gaga-gear we nicked is awful- how can they wear that stuff?"

"Ask the KQ" he shrugged. "But we were talking about your dad not Gaga-_fashion._"

She made a dismissive noise and stood up. "I need to talk to Brit for a bit, you coming?"

* * *

_**I wrote most of this ages ago- it was just fitting it in to the story somewhere that was the hard part.**_

_**The real action starts in the next chapter.**_

_**See ya then.**_

_**:-)**_


	10. Chapter Nine

**_Hi everybody- sorry to keep you guys waiting for this._**

**_ I've been looking forward to writing this chapter- the rescue chapter_**

**_Let me know what you think about it.

* * *

_**

_**Chapter Nine**_

Mercury glowered at herself- or rather the Gaga girl she'd been turned into- in the mirror. Her dark hair had been sprayed liberally with sickly, overpoweringly sweet smelling stuff which after it had been pulled into a high tail. Things got worse after Meat had attacked her with the makeup (something which Mercury didn't believe in). The material of the gaga clothes rubbed at her skin- which was used to the softness of her bohemian gear.

"Brit and Bowie had better keep their fat mouths shut" she grumbled as Meat dragged her out to show her handiwork to the other Bohemians.

"Just remember you're doing this for your dad, Merc" was Meat's, frankly unwelcome, advice. "You're doing this for the cause."

"I know" Mercury huffed, staring longingly at her normal attire which lay in a crumpled heap on the end of her bed beside the huge, heavily patched T shirt which mentioned something called the Black Parade that served as her nightwear. "I know"

The deeply embarrassed Mercury slipped into the main room. It was staggeringly empty; only Brit, Cosmos and of course, Mum, were there.

"Nobody says a word and nobody gets mauled by an angry Mercury" she said, betraying her presence

Brit's lip curled so did Mercury's fist, the older boy didn't notice this until he felt the pain of his little sister's warning shot in his right arm

"Where's Bowie?" Mercury asked, they couldn't go anywhere until their resident Gaga expert turned up.

As if on cue the blonde all but fell into the room. "Sorry, sleeping"

"Well done duh brain" Mercury smirked at him.

After a brief hug with her mother who whispered "Bring him back hon" in her ear; Mercury, Bowie, Brit and Cosmos slipped out into the morning sun.

* * *

When the party reached the edge of the city Mercury looked paler than ever (even under the gaga makeup).

"Babe" Bowie placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders

"I'm fine" she informed him with a wobbly smile. "Little nervous 'bout meetin' my dad but…"

Bowie hugged her and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Good luck Merc"

The girl cracked her knuckles and pulled herself away from her boyfriend's arms. "Remember the plan"

"Wait half an hour then sneak in underground" Brit nodded. "Just get on with it girl"

Mercury answered him by sticking out her tongue before sauntering away from them with exaggerated Gaga poise.

Bowie watched her go, his heart pounding- if something happened to her he didn't know what he'd do.

"She'll be fine Bow" Brit announced as if having read his mind. "You know how tough she is- if there's anyone who can lure the dreamer out its our Merc."

* * *

Mercury walked quietly up one of the corridors of the Globalsoft Corporation building. The gaga gear rubbed against her skin- she couldn't wait to be back in her normal clothes; but now she had a job to do. Her heart pounded excitedly against her rib cage as she thought about the task at hand.

Suddenly a door opened up ahead and a Chairwoman marched out- her pinstriped suit squeaking with every step she took. Pushing down her sudden irrational desire to go scuttling back to Bowie and try again another day Mercury darted through the door that the chairwoman had left open.

It seemed that the Spirit of Rock was on her side because she came nose to back with a black haired music programmer.

"Bingo" she muttered before mentally cursing and darting behind the nearby coffee machine as the man turned.

* * *

Gordon was sure he'd heard someone speak- he turned thinking it was the inspector coming back to double check- as she was wont to do with him.

He frowned at the empty space before him.

* * *

This was almost too good to be true. Mercury bit back an insanely large grin- she'd found him. Ok so at the moment he was a bloody Gaga zombie- but it was still him. It pained her to see the blank look on her father's face. In the photos mum had of him he always looked so happy.

"Hello" she said, emotionlessly as she stepped out of her hiding place

"Hello" he parroted, not seeming to find it odd that there was a kid in his work area. "Why are you here Gaga girl?"

Ok that stung- she'd never expected him to call her a Gaga girl. Thinking quickly she answered.

"I'm here because I want to be a music programmer when I leave school" she smiled at him blankly. "I came for a look around"

"Makes sense" Galileo nodded. "But this isn't a good time right now, how about you come

back another time"

"Ok" she nodded. "But I'm afraid I've always been hopeless with directions will you please show me how to get out of here?"

* * *

Gordon was due a bathroom break. He'd show the Gaga girl out of the building and make a trip to the little boy's room on the way back to work.

"Alright" he nodded and led her out of the room

Down in the foyer the girl turned to him and said. "Did you mean what you said about me coming to look round at a later date?"

"Yes" Gordon replied. "Globalsoft always needs new staff"

He didn't notice someone sneak up behind him and press a foul smelling rag over his mouth and nose until the smell had his eyes rolling back in his head as he passed out.

* * *

**_Think the rescue was too easy? well _this****_ part may have been but somehow I doubt Globalsoft are gonna just let their enemies waltz away with their chosen one_**

**_More to come very soon (hopefully before Christmas)  
_**


	11. Chapter Ten

_**Wow, this is most proably my fastest update for this fic. There are a couple of familiar faces making an entrance in this chapter- and a new face**_

_**Thanks to Livi Harkness for her review**_

* * *

_**Chapter Ten**_

The four figures- three conscious whist the fourth lying slumped in the largest of the three Bohemian's arms- entered the tunnels which used to be either sewers or something called subways. The 'kidnap' had been the easy part- now all they had to do was get the most important member of their little party back to the Heartbreak Hotel without the SPs catching up to them.

"We're going to have to split up" Cosmos told the boys who had accompanied him. "Bow, you know Merc'll probably be halfway back by now- she's bloody resourceful that girl"

Bowie was currently staring up at the last place he'd heard his girlfriend speak from. She, being dressed in the least conspicuous way had been able to take the most direct route out of the city- across land.

"Yeah" he nodded, knowing the older Bohemian was right but unable to refrain from worrying about Mercury- she was only sixteen.

"Last one back to the Heartbreak is a Zone Clone" Brit grinned insanely, trying to lighten his friend's mood. "And has to do midnight watch for a month"

"You're on" Bowie managed a feeble grin.

The two boys bumped fists and took off down separate tunnels.

Alone now, with his unconscious cargo Cosmos produced a large sheet of tinfoil from his bag and stuffed it onto the dreamer's head; completely covering his dark hair and neck. It was a precaution against the Transceivers which the pigs may have implanted into his head in the years they'd held him captive- this done Cosmos picked the dreamer up again and carried him forwards.

* * *

Commander Kashoggi was instantly alerted to the fact that something was wrong when one of his speakers started emitting nothing but white noise.

"Kashoggi to maintenance; we have a technical issue with our best music programmer"

A few minutes later there came this reply from the music programming workshop

"Gordon Jones isn't here Commander"

"What?" the Commander punched in a command to his computer to show him the building's CCTV feed for the past hour. There was a lot of it. The aging man groaned- this was going to take a while and he hadn't trusted anyone since the Killer Queen has sent him to the Seven Seas of Rhye before the Bohemian coup- so he had to do this alone.

* * *

Not surprisingly Mercury was the first to get back, she hobbled on sore bare feet through the door into the main room and collapsed, exhausted.

She hadn't broken into a run until she was clear across the border into the waste lands. The heels of the shoes had slowed her down and as there had been a very real danger that she would be followed by Gaga-clones she had needed to be as fast as possible and that meant running in bare feet; running barefoot across three hundred years of Rock knows what was not really something a sensible Bohemian would do- except in an emergency, so she'd walked out of the shoes and legged it.

* * *

* * *

Brit hauled himself out of the manhole and stopped for a minute to catch his breath, and get his bearings. That was the most intense thing he'd ever done in his young life. He was happy for Mercury that she'd got her dad back but he couldn't beat back a twinge of resentment- his own dad was dead- his mother hadn't even known she was pregnant at that point.

"Are you proud of me, Dad?" he asked- no one, not his mother, or even Mercury, knew that he spoke to his father when he was alone- it gave him comfort to think that the first Britney Spears might be looking down on him from somewhere and smiling- pleased that his only son and namesake was continuing to fight for the cause. As a child he'd been told that the first Brit lived on through him- a scary thought for the boy, then aged seven, but now mere days shy of his eighteenth birthday the young man was proud of to think that all the best of his dad was carried on through him.

"They'll never take the dreamer while I'm alive, dad" he promised as he began to trek through the wastelands back to the Heartbreak.

* * *

Bowie pulled himself out into the sunlight and found himself in the middle of nowhere- the only thing insight was a clapped out old vehicle with an old mattress, on top of which lay a person- a very old person in a denim jacket- sleeping peacefully on the mattress.

"Hey!" Bowie nudged the old man who snorted and waved him away with a semi -coherent expletive.

"Oi granddad" he shook the old man's shoulder.

This time the man grumbled something about being a groupie and a roadie.

"Wake up you sex obsessed sod!" Bowie kicked doffed his left boot and kicked the old man.

"What?" the old man peered at him blearily. "What the hell do you want kid? Bar'sh closed!"

"Bar?" Bowie scoffed. "We're in the middle of nowhere mate, who are you?"

"Namesh Pop" the man told him curtly. "And 'oo are you?"

"Bowie" said Bowie. "Look do you know how to get to the Heartbreak hotel from here?"

"Yeah" Pop nodded smiling pissedly. "Why?"

This guy was mad, as well as drunk- there was no other explanation

"Can you help me get there? I think I'm just a bit off course"

"Yeah, jusht a bit." The man staggered to his feet. "If it's where it was fif'een yearsh ago when I took little Murky to 'em"

"Murky?" Bowie bit his lip. "Do you mean Mercury? As in Mercury Figaro?"

"Yeah" Pop swayed on his feet and took a swig of whisky from a bottle which Bowie hadn't seen previously. "Why, d'you know 'er? Sweet likkle think in't she?"

"Yeah I know her" Bowie nodded. "She's my girlfriend- but she's never mentioned you"

Pop blinked. "Murky's too likkle to 'ave a boyfriend, she'sh ony a baby- looks jusht like 'er mam bu' gorrer dad'sh eyesh"

"She's sixteen" Bowie told the man. "I can prove it if you take me to the Heartbreak… er Pop?"

The old bohemian had slumped back on the mattress and was currently drooling into his own shoulder.

He was beggared- there went his beauty sleep, midnight watch for the next month; bloody brilliant.

* * *

Cosmos Rocks arrived at the Old Heartbreak Hotel just before sundown- he wasn't quite as young as he used to be and he'd been carrying a fully grown man for most of the day; but he couldn't rest yet. Before that he had to make sure his 'new friend' wasn't bugged

* * *

The Dowager Mrs Phyllis Jones answered the door to the easily recognizable face of Commander Kashoggi.

"May I help you commander?" she asked

"Mrs Jones" the Commander sighed. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm here about your son"

"Gordon's a good boy" Phyllis refused to hear a bad word about her only living relative. "Now that all of this Dreaming rubbish is out of the way, at least"

"I'm afraid he has been abducted" Kashoggi told her, rather too bluntly. "By four Bohemians- an adolescent female, two adolescent males and a male of his own approximate age. I am dreadfully sorry madam."

"W-what are you doing to find my son?" she demanded

"We are doing everything we can Mrs Jones" Kashoggi promised. "But as the Bohemians see, able to block our tracking methods we are somewhat stumped at present- if there are any leads I will not hesitate to let you know"

"Thank you Commander" Phyllis smiled tiredly at the man.

* * *

**_This one was kind of a filler I wrote it last night and I think it turned out quite well_**

**_but what do you think?  
_**


	12. Chapter Elelven

_**I've decided that I'm gonna end this fanfic here, but there will be a sequel up some time in the next few months.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it**_

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Mercury woke in her own bed. Her hair felt weird and her skin itched; the last thing she remembered was collapsing, exhausted, in the main room of the Heartbreak- so how had she managed to get to her room?

Who had carried her? Brit or Bowie (most likely the former)

When she decided that it was time to get up she found that both of her feet were swaddled in bandages. How badly had she cut them up on her run through the wastelands? She picked her way across her bedroom floor and over to the nearest bathroom- three doors down from her room.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror and discovered the cause of the itch and the weird feeling on her skin; her hair was stiff, held fast by the hairspray that she'd been attacked with the previous morning, still held in the uncomfortable Gaga 'style'. Her face, though scrubbed clean of the makeup, had erupted with dozens of angry spots.

Mercury sighed, one hand snaking up to scratch at her cheek, and turned on the shower.

* * *

Bowie was shocked to find Mercury's room empty. His girlfriend had been out for the count just ten minutes earlier when he'd left her side to get something to eat.

Scaramouche was catching up with Pop (he had been astonished to discover that the old drunk he'd brought back from the Wastelands was Mercury's Godfather) and Gordon Jones, no, not Gordon, Galileo Figaro- Merc's father. He'd have to get used to that. Galileo was still unconscious in the room next to his daughter's.

The dreamer was taking his time recuperating from whatever the Pigs had done to him when they'd captured him.

"Bow?"

Bowie started, and looked into his chick's face. Mercury stood in the doorway, wrapped in a towel, her hair hung in a dripping curtain down her back. Her feet were free of the bandages that Scara had swathed them in. Bowie winced at the sore looking appendages, yes the cuts and scratches had healed over, but how she managed to stand, much less walk on them was beyond him- and testament to how strong his baby was.

"You're awake" he smiled stupidly

Mercury smirked, rolling her eyes indulgently. "Seems that way, don't it?"

"We were worried about you" Bowie told her, pulling his damp girlfriend into his arms; his nose wrinkled slightly at the lingering, sickly sweet smell of hairspray that had mingled with her natural scent and soap.

"We?" she asked, a little coyly. "Or _you?_"

"Everyone" he replied. "Your mum, Cosmos, Meat and Brit, Pop…"

"Pop?" she asked, disbelievingly. "He's here? Really?"

"Yeah, he's with your mum at the moment"

"Sweet" Mercury smiled. "Now clear off so I can get dressed"

* * *

A strange air had settled over the Heartbreak Hotel since they'd liberated the dreamer from the clutches of the Killer Queen. The atmosphere was a strange combination of celebration and tension.

That night was for celebration, which they'd been holding off on until young Mercury had recovered, but there was a battle looming- a battle with Galileo's mind and the years of brainwashing Globalsoft had put him through.


End file.
